Car construction



Nov. 19; 1940. A. c. SCHMOHL CAR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1939 @{fmd $720 Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES CAR CONSTRUCTION Alfred G. Schmohl, Beaver Falls, Pa., assignor to Pressed Steel Car Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa", a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 15, 1939, Serial No; 284,666

4 Claims.

' derframe.

An object of my invention is to provide means for locking the body in stable equilibrium when in normal or upright position to receive lading or transport same, and has for an additional object the making of such locking means automatic in operation to the extent that after being released to permit dumping of the body the looking means are automatically returned to operative position by subsequent movement of the body. A further object of my invention is the provision of a novel form and construction of body supporting bearing.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 shows in elevation the end of the car with the body in locked position; Fig. 2 shows the body in dumped position; Fig. 3 shows in elevation a portion of the side of the car; Fig. 4 shows in enlarged detail the body bearing; Figs. 5, 6 and '7 show section taken on lines 55,

65, and 'l'! respectively of the drawings.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, reference character 1 indicates an underframe which may be of any suitable form and having members 2 adjacent each end thereof providing The body shown in the drawings is of generally V shape and has mounted on the end walls thereof bearings 4 which engage the members 2 in supporting the body 3 on the underframe. The bearings 4 move upon the member 2 as the body 3 moves in dumping. There are suitable wheel and axle assemblies 5 beneath the underframe l for engaging the track over which the car moves.

Car bodies of the type disclosed in the drawings are generally known to the trade as rocker dump cars and are usually constructed so as to remain in upright position when empty. Any eccentric loading of the lading within the body will cause the latter to tilt and the bearings l permit the body to rotate into a position in.

which the bottom or floor of the body forms an inclined plane off which the lading moves. As indicated in the drawings, there are no separate side walls on the body, the inclined floor functioning to retain the lading within the body whilst the body is in normal upright position.

The bearing 5 at each end of the body is of novel form, comprises a base plate 6 secured to the body, and a bar I bent to form a rocker. One edge of the bar I is welded to the plate 6 so that the bar I projects outwardly therefrom to :"i engage the member 2 and support the body thereon. Spaced longitudinally of the bar I, and preferably radially disposed thereto, are substantially triangular shaped braces 8 which may be of plate stock having one edge welded to the bear is ing base plate 6 and an adjacent edge welded to the bar i In order to retain the body hearings in operative relationship upon the underframe members 2 guide members 9 and ii] are provided. The guide member 9 being secured to the bar 1 15 so to overlap the member 2 and depend below the plane of the top thereof. Guides iii are secured to the member 2 below the plane of the top thereof so as to not interfere with movement of bar l of the bearing 4. These guides I0 project 29 above the member 2 on opposite sides of the guide 9 and in spaced relation thereto. t will be observed from an inspection of the drawings that these guides 9 and Ill in addition to guiding the body in dumping also position the body longi- 25 tudinally of the underframe and restrict relative longitudinal movement of the body between the underframe members 2.

In order to secure the body in upright stable equilibrium during loading and transporting of 30 lading, latches I! are pivotally mounted on the underframe adjacent opposite ends of the bearing 4 and engage. latch pins l2 secured to the body. Each latch ll comprises. an elongated body portion l3 and an enlarged head portion 35 it. One end of the body portion I3 is secured to the underframe member 2 by means of a bracket 15 and pin l6 so that the latch II may rotate on the pin H5 in moving into and out of engagement with the latch pin E2. The major 0 portion of body portion l3 of the latch l l is preferably inclined relative to the pivot pin l6 so that the enlarged end portion 14 of the latch is spaced horizontally from the pin l6 and will normally rotate by gravity towards the latch 45 pin i2. The head M of the latch has a face I! angularly disposed to the body portion 13 and extending below the latch pin when in engagement therewith to form a latch pin engaging surface and permit separation of the latch head I4 50 and latch pin i2 when the latch is rotated upon the pin I6. The latch head 54 is also provided with a suitable substantially flat surface l8 angularly disposed to surface I! for a purpose hereinafter described. 55

Cil

The latch pins are preferably combined with the bearing bar I in that the latch pins I2 in addition to being secured to the bearing plate 6 are embraced by the ends of the bar I as shown in Fig. 4, thereby providing mutual support for these members. The rounded end so formed on the bar 1 provides a pivot about which the body turns in final dump position. It will be obvious, however, that the latch pins may be otherwise disposed provided suitable changes are made in the contour of the latch.

The latches II, which are four in number, securely hold the body 3 in upright lading retaining position when the latches are in engagement with the latch pins l2. As stated before, the latches II rotate on the pins IE to move out of engagement with the latch pins I2 so that when it is desired to tilt the body to one side of the underframe the latches at the opposite side of the underframe are moved out of engagement with the latch pins I2 and the body is free to dump. However, upon return of the body, unless the displaced latches I I were manually returned to locking engagement with the latch pins I2, the body would no longer be held in stable equilibrium. Therefore, in order to provide automatic return of the latches to a positon for engagement with the latch pins I2, I provide the stops IE! on the underframe member 2 and stops 20 on the body adjacent each latch.

Referring now to Fig. 2 of. the drawings it will be observed that stop I9, which may be of any suitable shape but is preferably an angle, has a horizontal leg secured to the member 2 and a vertical leg extending into engagement with the body portion l3 of the latch. In this position the stop I9 prevents the latch from moving downwardly below a positon for engaging the latch pin I2. Stop 28, which may be of any suitable form and is shown as an angle, has one leg secured to the body and an outstanding leg extending away from the body. At least one leg of the stop 20 extends endwise beyond the body into the plane of rotation of the latch II so that when either latch II is rotated out of engagement with the latch pin, rotation is limited by engagement with the adjacent stop 20. When dumping of the body takes place the stop 20 in engagement with latch I I moves same downward and toward engagement with the adjacent stop I9 and thereafter moves out of engagement with the latch to permit continued tilting of the body. Upon return of the body to upright position the latch pin I2 engages the face I8 of the head I4 of the latch I I which is held in pin engaging position by stop I9. This face I8 is preferably inclined downwardly and toward the side of the car so that the latch pin I2 upon engaging the face I8 of the latch rotates same toward the side of the car a sufficient distance to permit the latch pin I2 to move off the face I8 of the latch and beneath the face I! thereof. The latch head I4, acting under the force of gravity, causes the latch to rotate downwardly into engagement with the pin I 2 and the latch is thus returned to locked position. If desired, the latch head I4 may have a portion 2| formed therewith or welded thereto to provide additional surface for engagement with stop 20 on the body.

Stop I9 on the underframe, in adidtion to the above described function, may also be used as a stop against which the end of the bearing bar I bears when the body reaches final dumping position and provides some restriction against lateral displacement of the body relative to the underframe. This additional feature of the stop l9 may be availed of or not as desired.

As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the body in moving to fully dumped position may be rotated suflicient to bring a portion of the body into engagement with the underframe or wheels and it is desirable to place some sort of a wearing pad or stifiener for the body at this place. As shown in Figs. 2: and 3 of the drawings, the usual stifiening angle located on each side of the bottom of the body and extending from end to end of the body has been combined with stop 20 and provides a wearing plate for engagement with the wheels. It is obvious, however, that in cases where the stiffening angle is dispensed with, some other means such as a fiat plate may be secured to the body for this purpose and need only extend throughout the contact of the body with the wheels or underframe.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dump vehicle, in combination, an underframe, a body, bearings on the body engaging the underframe and upon which the body turns in dumping, latch pins on said body, latch members pivoted on opposite sides of the underframe and engaging said latch pins to retain the body in stable equilibrium and selectively releasable therefrom to permit dumping, and means on the body and spaced from said latch pins for moving the adjacent latch from released position to latch pin engaging position during dumping of the body.

2. In a dump vehicle, in combination, an underframe, a V-shaped lading body, a rocker hearing at the opposite ends of the body supporting same on the underframe, latch members pivoted to the underframe at opposite sides thereof, latch pins on the body and engaged by the latches to maintain the body in upright position, means on said underframe restricting movement of the latches toward the underframe and below latch engaging position, means on the body adjacent each latch and in spaced relation thereto for engaging the respective latch when in released position and returning same to latch engaging position during dumping movement of the body toward the opposite side of the underframe, and a suitably shaped face on each latch facilitating engagement of latch and pin upon return of the body to normal position.

3. In a dump vehicle, in combination, an underframe, a body, rocker bearings at each end of the body engaging the underframe to support the body thereon and upon which the body turns in dumping, latch means mounted on the underframe at each side thereof and extending thereabove to engage the body to retain same in stable equilibrium and for manual selective release of the body for dumping, means on the body adjacent each latch and normally free of said latches for engaging the respective adjacent latch when in release position to control the return of same to locking position through movement of the body, and latch engaging portions on the body for automatic engagement with the adjacent latch upon return of the body from dump to upright position.

4. In a dump vehicle of the character described, in combination, a substantially V-shaped body, an underframe, a rocker shaped bearing at each end of the body engaging the underframe to support the body thereon in unstable equilibrium, latch pins united with said bearing at each end thereof, latch members pivoted to the underframe adjacent each side thereof and extending thereabove to engage said latch pins to retain the body in stable equilibrium, said latch members being rotatable away from latch pins to release the body for dumping, means on said underframe adjacent each latch and disposed in the plane of rotation thereof limiting pivotal movement of the latches inwardly of the underframe when free of said latch pins and providing abutments for the ends of the rocker bearing when the body is in fully dumped position, and means on said body at each side thereof extending into the plane of rotation of the adjacent latch when the latter is in released position, said body means being in spaced relation to said latches when the body is in normal upright position and moving with the body during dumping thereof to engage the released latch and move same into engagement with said underframe means.

ALFRED C. SCHMOHL. 

